"What did you decide to delete Instagram?!" True freedom is the one we create and choose for ourselves. As I write this article, it will soon be a year since I deleted all the apps on my phone: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And this article is written by me with my sensitivity, my authenticity, and perhaps my few... human mistakes. Because I can't stand reading ChatGPT in every post on the internet anymore. And in my eyes, it makes people even more matrixed by AI at a time when only voice can be heard with sincerity. Disclaimer: I use chatGPT every day for my personal and professional life. But reading these texts today, as was already the case with the AIDA copywriting method of the time, well, I just don't like it.
In this article I will explain to you:
- Why I am making this decision
- How am I going to do it?
- How I'm going to grow my online business without a social media presence
- I share thought-provoking content on these topics
- Conclusion: the phoenix rising from the ashes
Why I am making this decision to delete Instagram?
I don't even know in what order to tell you all this... but I'm going to explain MY decision and my thoughts. Lately when I felt tired I could take a few minutes to lie down and after a minute I could take my phone and via the browser go to insta and I would look at the stories of the people I follow. And each time I realized that it was almost mechanical, I was going to look for this dose, this shot of pseudo-comfort. But in reality it added mental fatigue. After 5 minutes I turned off my phone and took the time to rest... really and calmly (physical and mental calm). This path was not simple and clear. It required connection, real awareness of the present moment.
The second reason I'm doing this is that I feel a deep misalignment with this way of doing business online. For as long as I can remember, I've always had a rebellious soul. As a child, I remember wanting to do things differently because I didn't want to be like everyone else. Not out of a desire for originality, no. I've always sincerely wanted to shake things up, to forge new paths... even if that often led me to go it alone.
I have a tree-like thought process, so I know one thing: I cannot do for the sake of doing, but understand why and then agree to do it or not.
It was also with this mindset that I wanted to become a social worker: to make a difference and change the world on my own scale. And my career (before becoming an entrepreneur) was in the protection of children at risk. Even more so than yesterday, and because today I am a mother, I cannot let things bring chaos into my life and that of my children. In part 4 of this article, I will share with you some thoughts on the impact of social media.
I am one of those who today are saying STOP. Stop what social media like Instagram and TikTok are doing to our lives and those of our children.
How am I going to do it?
Indeed, today I made a more radical decision: deleting Instagram and my social media presence. What does that mean? It's mainly on Instagram where it will be visible. Here are the steps I'm going to take to do so:
- The reflection. I'm making this decision, which has been maturing within me for over a year. And I fully embrace it in body and mind.
- The action. I unfollow everyone from my account.
- I archive all posts, I clean up my bio.
- The bridge. I'm posting two posts: one explaining this and one explaining what I do and where to find me.
- The revival. I continue on my path almost alone: often when we choose to do things differently, we walk alone for a while. It takes courage, sometimes a touch of madness. But I believe that above all, it takes faith.
I know one thing: it's a decision that I find healthy for me, so even if there are times when I can feel FOMO (fear of missing out), I'm sticking with it. Every time I've done things differently, I've found myself in a more or less uncomfortable whirlwind before reaping unexpected rewards. So I'm going to be patient, active, and anchored in my faith.
How am I going to develop my online business without a social media presence?
As I write these lines, my heart is pounding... with fear, yes, but above all with excitement, because I am saying no to a system and saying a big YES to myself. And that is priceless. I am full of gratitude for being able to afford this luxury of choosing. Choosing what suits me and what makes me feel good.
I have an online business: yes. It's even taken a turn in recent months. Because I've been quite absent from the heart of my solo business for two reasons.
The first is that I was in the run to take off and shine MyKlub the coaching and training platform online that I co-founded. Running a startup is not a Sunday stroll lol. And the second reason is that I had a burnout… I know the reasons for it well and maybe one day I will tell it publicly but not now. It's my private life. The only thing I want you to know is that it has nothing to do with my online activity as a mentor, coach and visionary strategist. But when you come out of a burnout you can no longer do as before. And what's more I'm 42 years old and at forty you also know how to express the famous "go away" to everything that you don't like or is not (anymore) aligned.
Okay, I'm getting to how I'm going to develop my online business! It will be mainly with YouTube. It's been my main channel for a few months now, and I like this format. I have no constraints and I don't need to consume to create. You can even click on the YouTube option that says "show me fewer shorts in my feed." Because in addition to not creating any more, I don't consume any at all. It's the return of slow content and slow business. What does my strategy look like in detail? I'll tell you everything, you can copy:
- Main acquisition channel: YouTube via my long-form video formats. I favor two types of videos: vlogs and face-cam formats with my conscious positions and choices.
- Secondary acquisition channel: Meta advertising. I have small products that sell and will be promoted through a low-ticket funnel strategy with ads. It's very American and it brings in qualified leads (because it's a low-cost customer). Here, it will be primarily through my Notion templates.
- I have a pyramid of offers clear through The Glow CEO. The Glow CEO It's a whole universe to support aspiring entrepreneurs who feel that their minds and their businesses are in disarray and that it's time to clarify, structure and organize their business as best as possible so that it serves their lives and their dreams even more than ever.
- And finally, an aspect that too many web entrepreneurs put aside to the point where loneliness makes them buy masterminds for more than 20k: a live presence in real life via events, networking, partnerships, on-site prospecting, etc.
And if new ways emerge in my strategy I will share it on my YouTube channel: youtube.com/@amelrachem/
I share thought-provoking content on these topics
I've delved into these topics extensively, not as an expert, but as a concerned woman. Here's what left me thinking, shaken, and sometimes even overwhelmed...
You can find so many articles about social media and its negative impact on people's lives, regardless of their age. But since TikTok was almost banned in the US, it's sparked real discussions and decisions about it. Like in Australia, where they decided to ban social media for those under 16.
Before sharing the content to go further, let me just tell you about these scary misdeeds: brain rot, the effects on mental health and self-perception.
- Brain rot : feeling of loss of ability to concentrate, stifled creativity, confused thoughts due to overexposure to short, fast, and repetitive content.
- Dopamine hacking : Networks are designed to exploit our reward system, making us addicted to micro-doses of satisfaction (likes, notifications, infinite scrolls).
- Doomscrolling : Anxiety-inducing, compulsive scrolling, often at night or when you are tired.
- Passive social comparison : what you look at changes your perception of yourself, often unconsciously (feeling of failure, of being “behind”).
- Altered self-image : self-esteem becomes dependent on externality (commitment, feedback, visibility), especially for creative women.
- Identity disorientation : By constantly performing roles on social media, we become disconnected from our authentic voice.
- Digital violence: harassment and normalized cyberviolence (we talk about hating in our jargon but it's not normal), amplification of hatred with a herd effect, and so on.
Article on brain rot: https://www.ouest-france.fr/leditiondusoir/2024-12-05/pourquoi-le-brain-rot-ce-mal-inquietant-lie-aux-reseaux-sociaux-est-elu-mot-de-l-annee-a-oxford
Netflix series about social media bullying: Adolescence
Article on dopamine and the negative effects of social media: https://www.crnl.fr/fr/actualite/dopamine-comment-applis-piegent-notre-cerveau
YouTube video about this that I find interesting:
My 2 videos on this subject:
Conclusion: the phoenix rising from the ashes
So yes, I'm not going to tell you that it's easy for me. I'm choosing once again in my life to take a path of solitude. A choice that will generate inspiration and a wow effect, for sure, but also judgment.
Because by choosing to leave Instagram completely, I lose: a rapid audience flow, pseudo-visibility, the perception of no longer being in the online business game. But beyond that, I gain!
I gain from preserving my energy, my deep thought, true creativity, my congruity and peace.
This act is not just a personal and professional choice. It is a refusal. I loudly and clearly refuse a system. A system that colonizes our minds, our attention, our rhythms, our children, and our lives… I refuse to be assimilated once again. I refuse to betray myself in order to fit in. And I choose to say no to the noise to say a huge YES to myself.
I dream of a better world! And as Michael Jackson says in his song Man in the Mirror: “if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change”. So this change begins with the woman I see in the mirror.
If you too want a business that serves you and not the other way around, with an ecosystem of offers aligned with you and your life, make an appointment with me and we'll see how I can support you towards this precious objective: https://calendly.com/amel-rachem/rdv-30-minutes
Thank you for this authentic, realistic, and, above all, truly authentic article. There's no point in copying fashionable ways of doing things if they don't reflect who you are. Well done!